All-wing airplane with separable flotation section



Nov. 28, 1939. v. J. BURNELLI 2.1815

. ALL-WING AIRPLANE WITH SEPARABLE FLOTAT ION SECTION Filed March 29, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR Vmcmi Jfiuzwz/lz TORNEY Nov. 28, 1939. v. J. BURNELLI 2.181574 ALL WING AIRPLANE WITH SEPARABLE FLOTATION SECTION Filed March 29, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Wncegf [Earn/ll! 2 Ag Q ATTO RN EY Patented Nov. 28, 1939 UNITED STATES ALL-WING AIRPLANE WITH SEPARABLE FLOTATION SECTION Vincent J. Burnelli, Keyport, N. J., assignor to Burnelli Aircraft, Limited, Keyport, N. J., a corporation of Delaware Application March 29, 1938, Serial No. 198,648

5 Claims.

This invention relates to airplanes of the Burnelli type, that is, having a lifting fuselage in the form of a central wing section, and my present improvement contemplates the provision of means enabling the lateral wing sections to be readily detached from the central wing section in the event of a forced landing on water, so that said central section, with its load and occupants, may float until aid is forthcoming.

Since land planes are more eflicient than seaplanes or hydroairplanes and the latter are practically unable to cope with the waves in a heavy sea it is my idea to render the central section of a land plane water tight and floatable so that when the impedimenta of its lateral wing sections have been shed said central section may function, in the manner of a hollow life raft and remain afloat until help can respond to distress signals.

To this end the central wing section is of sufllcient width and height to accommodate the crew, load, passengers, equipment and all supplies. The doors when closed are caused to be sealed against the inflow of water so that the central section may safely ride the ocean as a raft or water craft.

Being provided with radio sending and receiving means the occupants can get in communication with ships at sea or with the shore.

My purpose in the main is to prove with the lifting fuselage type of airplane that safe ocean crossings may be made with a substantial pay load, which in the first instance may comprise mail matter and express goods. Also some passengers may be carried. Naturally, with this type, the larger the size of the airplane the more highly eflicient it becomes, both with respect to performance and load carrying.

The landing gear is retractable into pockets that are sealed from communication with the central section interior.

A motor with marine propeller is provided for the purpose of enabling the craft to maintain seaway.

Fuel tanks are disposed longitudinally within the central wing section, at the sides thereof, and means are provided for quickly emptying these tanks so that they may serve as additional buoyancy elements for support of the life raft in water.

Ventilation for the central wing section depends upon air inlet means provided in the upper surface of said section, the nature and location of these inlet means being such as to minimize the possibility of water inflowwhen the central wing section is functioning a5 a life raft,

My invention of means for detaching the lateral wings of an airplane, while devised especially for use with land planes having a central wing section, is also applicable to seaplanes which include a centrally disposed boat element, and pontoons that are carried by the wings. In such instance the entire right and left wings are detachably connected to a central post element that extends upwardly from they boat and may be detached therefrom by mechanism under the control of the pilot. As thus detached the wings fall clear from the boat by reason of distance members that connect them with the boat, the pivotal connection of the distance members being so devised that said distance members will become free from their engagement with the boat as the wings fall away' from their connection with the central post element.

Other features and advantages of my invention will hereinafter appear.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of an airplane having a floatable central wing section that is provided with detachable lateral wing sections.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged, partial side elevation, partly in section, of the same, the section being taken on the line 3--3 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 8, and

Fig. 5 is a front view of a seaplane having detachable wings.

In carrying out my invention of an airplane having a central wing section or lifting fuselage that is floatable in water I construct said airplane with a hollow central section of suflicient width and height to contain the crew, passengers (or load) fuel supplies and equipment, so that it may become a self contained unit that is capable of floating in the manner of a life raft, said central section being indicated generally by the refernce character A; and-I provide therefor lateral wing sections B that are capable of detach ment from said central section by mechanical means under the control of the pilot, so that, in the event of a forced landing on water, as in the ocean, said lateral Wing sections may be promptly unshipped and caused to fall away.

As means for releasably connecting the lateral wing sections to the central section the roots of the spars C, D of each section B carry apertured lugs I that are entered through slots formed in a side wall of section A, where they are adapted I to be releasably engaged by means that are slid- .able into and out of the apertures in the lugs.

The engaging means here shown consist of bars 2, 3 and 4, 5, pivotally held at adjacent ends, respectively, by crank arms 6, 1 that are pivoted eccentrically to a disk 8 that itself is iournalled by a stub shaft 9 in a fixed bearing mounted in a side wall of section A, intermediate the forward and rear spars E, F of section A. The stub shaft 9 also carries a sprocket wheel I0, said sprocket being connected by a sprocket chain II with a sprocket wheel I2 that is located in the pilots cockpit and is operable by a crank l3. The free ends of bars 2, 3 and 4, 5 penetrate holes provided therefor in spars E, F of section A and enter the apertures in lugs l to thereby unite wing sections B to central section A. But when it is desirable to release wing-sections B the pilot turns each crank to rotate sprocket ill in the direction having the effect of drawing the rods 2, 3 and 4, 5 out of their engagement with lugs l, whereby a wing section B becomes free to fall away from its engagement with section A. Each wing section B is shown as provided with like engaging and releasing means.

The wing sections B should be released directly the forced landing is made, so that they may not interfere with the raft-like flotation characteristic of the central wing section. v

The tail group, I4, shown as carried by booms I5, is held sufliciently above the water to permit directional control by air with the aid of an outboard motor and propeller, shown at I6, which latter is normally housed in a well or pocket I! that is located in the under-surface of central section A.

The retractable landing gear is shown only as retracted, at H! and 19.

Fuel tanks 20 are shown as built within the central wing section, along the side walls thereof, and may serve, when emptied, to provide additional buoyancy for flotation purposes, Dumping means, indicated at 2|, may be employed for quickly disposing of the fuel contents when the airplane is about to alight. Additional fuel tanks 28 and oil tanks 29 may also be provided in the root portions of wing sections 13.

'angularly between the boat and wings, having the effect, when the wings are released, of enabling the latter to fall clear away from the boat, said distance members having such loose connection with the boat that they too will become disengaged therefrom in the falling away of the wings.

The connecting means between the wings 23 and standard may be released by control means similar to those shown with respect to the structure of Figs. 1 to 4.v

Variations within the spirit and scope of my.

invention are equally comprehended by the foregoing disclosure.

I claim:

1. An all-wing airplane having a central section that is so constructed as to be floatable on water and aerial and marine power plants carried by said central section, respectively near the leading and trailing edges thereof, whereby fore and aft stability is enhanced both in the air and on the water.

2. An all-wing airplane having a central loadcarrying section that is so constructed as to be floatable on water, forward and rear spars in said section, lateral wing sections releasably connected with said central section, to constitute therewith supporting means in flight, an aerial power plant and a marine power plane, said power plants carried by said central section respectively in advance of said forward spar and rearwardly of said rear spar, whereby fore and aft stability is enhanced both in the air and on the water.

3. An all-wing airplane having a central loadcarrying section that is so constructed as to befloatable on water, forward and rear spars in said section, lateral wing sections releasably connected with said central section, to constitute therewith supporting means in flight, an aerial power plant carried by said central section in advance of said forward spar, said central section provided with a well in its under surface, located rearwardly of said rear spar, and a marine power plant that is normally housed in said well and adapted to be extended therefrom for water propulsion, the respective forward and rear locations of said power plants providing weight distribution that assists in promoting longitudinal stability.

4. An all-wing airplane having a central loadcarrying section that is so constructed as to be floatable on water, an aerial power plant comprising engines and propellers carried by said central section at its forward portion, lateral wing sections releasably connected with said central section to constitute therewith supporting means in flight, said central section provided with a well in its under surface, a marine power plant comprising a motor and propeller, said marine plant being normally housed in said well and adapted to be extended therefrom for marine propulsion, and fuel tanks having quick emptying means, built within said central section, at opposite sides of said well, said tanks serving to add buoyancy to said central section for water flotation.

5. An all-wing airplane having a central loadcarrying section that is so constructed as to be floatable on water, forward and rear spars in said section, lateral wing sections releasably connected with said central section, to constitute therewith supporting means in flight, and landing gear carried by and retractable into said central section between said spars, whereby the weight of said landing gear is located approximately in the longitudinal centre of said central section, and

the fore and aft trim is substantially unaffected.

VINCENT J. BURNELLI. 

